Iceland – GBF implementation and policy review
Biodiversity has, in general, not been adequately integrated into Icelandic laws and policy. Many of the laws relevant to Targets 1-8 do not mention biodiversity but instead put an emphasis on environmental matters and nature conservation. There are a few exceptions, such as the Nature Conservation Act (Lög um náttúruvernd) and the Act on environmental assessment for projects and plans (Lög um umhverfismat framkvæmda og áætlana), in which biodiversity is well integrated into the legal framework. Some action plans have integrated biodiversity in their policy: Action plan for land reclamation and forestry (Land og líf) 2022-2026, the National Planning Strategy 2024-2038 (Landsskipulagsstefna), Action plan for Agricultural Policy 2024-2040 (Aðgerðaáætlun landbúnaðarstefnu til 2040) and Action plan for climate change (Aðgerðaáætlun í loftslagsmálum) 2024. Furthermore, there are policies in development in the sectors of fisheries, aquaculture, wind energy, waste reduction, and others where biodiversity is expected to play a significant role.
Despite these, by the end of 2024, no one from the administration had been working on gathering information for the monitoring framework (GBF indicators). The status of implementation is therefore unknown for targets 1-8 but it is clear that Iceland is not even close to reaching them. Further information on implementation on GBF targets 1-8 for Iceland and an extensive detailed policy review on targets 1-8 is available:
Finland – GBF implementation
Biodiversity agreements such as the GBF have been added to Finland’s nature protection law, making it a powerful agreement for environmental policy. Finland also follows EU legislation, which has slowed biodiversity loss in all 27 EU member states, including Finland. Examples of such nature-friendly EU policies include the new Nature Restoration Regulation, which put the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 into action, and the banning of hunting birds with lead shot in wetlands to protect around 1 million birds from dying of lead poisoning each year. The power of EU law should not be underestimated and many key commitments of the Finnish EU Biodiversity strategy are relevant to GBF Targets 1-8. Despite this, more urgent action and monitoring are needed to ensure effective implementation and accountability in protecting biodiversity. The Finnish Nature Panel has provided guidelines on what indicators to use and how to measure improvements in nature to fulfill EU commitments. Many of these same actions will also fulfill GBF targets, however, GBF-specific actions are being finalized and still pending official Finnish government decisions. Policy development in EU countries should focus on streamlined plans and determined action. Action is the only way to effective nature policy and the only way to stop the ecosystem degradation and biodiversity crisis. Further information on implementation on GBF targets 1-8 for for Finland on targets 1-8 is available:
Denmark – GBF implementation
The primary obstacle for biodiversity in Denmark is related to intensive land-use, which also affects the coastal waters and ocean due to agricultural pollutants. Thus, the focus in Denmark has been on the GBF targets related to land-use (Targets 1-3) as well as the issue of pollution (Target 7) as it relates to land-use. Furthermore, Denmark does have a relatively strong institutional structure for scientific capacity building and knowledge transfer (Targets 20-21). Other issues addressed by Targets 4-8, such as sustainable trade and harvest of wild species (Target 5), invasive alien species (Target 6), and impacts of climate change on biodiversity (Target 8) are partially covered by a combination of EU regulations and Danish laws. However, there are still significant gaps in restrictions, such as the permission of benthic trawling and marine traffic of invasive species, as well as in enforcement. Further information on implementation on GBF targets 1-8 for Denmark is available:
More information on the Nordic Biodiversity Framework